THE NWBF county teams are still seeking their first wins of the season in the Donald Steward Trophy and Silver Jubilee Vase following a double defeat in Suffolk.

The Steward team picked up four points from their 119-86 defeat at Kessingland, the wins coming from the rinks of Chris Ford and Myra Landsburgh.

The Vase team could only muster 12 players because of illness and unavailability, and so had to play one player short on three of the five rinks at Halesworth, hence the scoreline of 194-51 and a nil return.

RESULTS

DONALD STEWARD TROPHY

Northants 86 (4), Suffolk 119 (16) – (Northants rinks only):

Marlene Osborne, Viv Hempsell, Gill King lost 13-30; Shirley Suffling, Sally Albany, Myra Landsburgh won 22-20; Terri Handley, Linda Toms, Carol Grief lost 20-21; Elizabeth Wallace, Moira Holroyd, Chris Ford won 22-18; Miriam Hulbert, Sharon Green, Pat Jones lost 9-29.

SILVER JUBILEE VASE

Northants 51 (0), Suffolk 194 (20) – (Northants rinks only):

Christine Frost, Sue Mansbridge, Liz Hext lost 12-39; Kate Heath, Ann Northen, Joyce Needham lost 13-35; Wendy Stevens & Val Du’Kett lost 7-41; Karen Mercer & Ann Cooper lost 11-46; Linda Starbuck & Althea Taylor lost 8-33.

THE NBF county teams both suffered defeats at the hands of visiting Lincolnshire in the Adams and Newton Trophy competitions.

It’s three defeats in a row for the Adams team following their172-146 defeat at Blackstones which yielded just four points, while the Newton side came crashing down to earth following the previous week’s first win as they slumped to a 208-152 defeat at Whittlesey Manor.

The rinks of Trevor Collins and Ally McNaughton were in credit for the Adams team, the former for the second match running, while the rinks of Roy Mercer and Kevin Vinter were again successful for the Newton team.

Both teams are at home again on Saturday (June 24) with North Essex at Blackstones in the Adams and North Cambs at Whittlesey Manor in the Newton.

RESULTS

ADAMS TROPHY

NORTHANTS 146 (4), LINCS 172 (18) – (Northants rinks only):

Roger Stevens, Owen Aspinall, Adam Warrington lost 22-24; Jeff Clipston, Duncan Lee, Ray Keating lost 21-32; Martin Prudhoe, Robert Heath, Mick Linnell lost 25-36; Dusty Miller, Darren Middleton, Dave Smith lost 20-36; Howard Shipp, Craig Campbell, Trevor Collins won 29-27; Adam Emery, Neil Wright, Ally McNaughton won 29-17.

NEWTON TROPHY

NORTHANTS 152 (4), LINCS 208 (18) – (Northants rinks only):

Graham Patrickson, Martin & Paul Bailey lost 30-37; Dave Corney, Alec Emery, Paul Buckley lost 22-37; Philip Burbridge, Andy Cook, Peter Smith lost 20-56; John Holroyd, Michael Humphries, Kevin Vinter won 28-24; Andy Dyer, Steven Shaw, Barry Lawrence lost 24-33; Les Sharp, Brian Bassam, Roy Mercer won 29-21.

THE NBF Newton Trophy team got off the mark at the second time of asking by defeating Hunts 178-152 at Needingworth, but the Adams team are still seeking their first win following a 166-143 defeat against Hunts at St Ives.

Newton rink honours were shared, with the Northants successes coming from the rinks of Kevin Vinter, Peter Smith and Roy Mercer, while the rinks of Mick Linnell and Dudley Smith earned the Adams team their four points.

Both teams are in action against Lincolnshire on Saturday (June 17), with the Adams team at Blackstones and the Newton team at Whittlesey Manor.

RESULTS

ADAMS TROPHY

Northants 143 (4), Hunts 166 (18) – (Northants rinks only):

Martin Prudhoe, Robert Heath, Mick Linnell won 25-23; Howard Shipp, Craig Campbell, Trevor Collins lost 20-28; Duncan Lee, Stephen Harris, Dudley Smith won 31-24; Neil Wright, Ally McNaughton, Graham Agger lost 21-27; Dusty MIller, Darren Middleton, Martyn Dolby lost 22-32; Roger Stevens, Owen Aspinall, Adam Warrington lost 24-30.

NEWTON TROPHY

Northants 178 (16), Hunts 152 (6) – (Northants rinks only):

Jon, Martin & Paul Bailey lost 24-29; John Holroyd, Michael Humphreys, Kevin Vinter won 32-24; Steven Shaw, Melvyn Beck, Barry Lawrence lost 24-38; Philip Burbridge, Andy Cook, Peter Smith won 32-16; Les Sharp, Brian Bassam, Roy Mercer won 40-18; Andy Cox, Alec Emery, Paul Buckley lost 26-27.

THE NWBF Donald Steward team failed to register a point from their second match of the season when they entertained North Cambs at City of Peterborough.

They were beaten 121-93, but the margin of defeat for three of the five rinks was three shots or less.

They are next in action away to Suffolk on Wednesday, June 21, when the Silver Jubilee Vase team will also be involved.

RESULT

DONALD STEWARD TROPHY

NORTHANTS 93 (0), NORTH CAMBS 121 (18) – (Northants rinks only):

Terri Handley, Linda Toms, Carol Grief lost 14-17; Myra Landsburgh, Shirley Suffling, Liz Hext lost 25-26; Penny Hart, Val Du’Kett, Angela Kenny lost 19-27; Elizabeth Wallace, Sally Albany, Chris Ford lost 14-27; Marlene Osborne, Moira Holroyd, Gill King lost 21-24.

NORTHANTS’ Adams and Newton teams suffered comprehensive defeats away to Suffolk in their opening county championship fixtures of the season.

Suffolk are nearly always the team to beat if you are to challenge for the southern section title, and that fact that both teams were scrambling around for players on the night before the match far from helped their cause.

Consequently, the Adams collected just four points from their long trip to Leiston in a 198-140 defeat, while the Newton team, playing at Laxfield, picked up only three in a 210-131 mauling.

The rinks of Mick Linnell and Trevor Collins gained the points for the Adams, while Barry Lawrence’s trio edged home by one shot in the Newton, with Kevin Vinter’s finishing all square.

Both teams are on the road again this Saturday with a visit to near neighbours Hunts.

RESULTS

ADAMS TROPHY

Northants 140 (4), Suffolk 198 (18) – (Northants rinks only):

Darren Middleton, Dusty Miller, Martyn Dolby lost 23-27; Roger Stevens, Steve Roden, Graham Agger lost 27-31; Stuart Agger, Robert Heath, Mick Linnell won 33-28; Dave Roberts, Ally McNaughton, Roger Strong lost 13-39; Howard Shipp, Craig Campbell, Trevor Collins won 29-25; Martin Prudhoe, Duncan Lee, Roger Martin lost 15-43.

NEWTON TROPHY

Northants 131 (3), Suffolk 210 (19) – (Northants rinks only):

Les Sharp, Melvyn Beck, Brian Bassam lost 13-51; Andy Cox, Alec Emery, Paul Buckley lost 16-32; Jon, Martin & Paul Bailey lost 30-37; Michael Humphreys, John Holroyd, Kevin Vinter drew 24-24; Philip Burbridge, Andy Cook, Peter Smith lost 20-39; Steven Shaw, Andy Dyer, Barry Lawrence won 28-27.

THE Northants ladies county teams opened their English Women’s Bowling Federation county championship programme with defeats away to local rivals Hunts.

The Donald Steward team were beaten 113-98 at Hemingford, while the Silver Jubilee Vase side went down 126-86 at Houghton & Wyton.

Both teams recorded two rink wins apiece to return with four points each, the successful Steward rinks being county president Shirley Suffling, Pat Jones and Angela Cox (26-17) and Viv Hempsell, Moira Holroyd and Gill King (33-14), while Christine Frost, Sue Mansbridge and deputy president Liz Hext (26-20) and Jan McDougall, Wendy Stevens and Marlene Osborne (24-19) claimed the points for the Vase team.

Next up is a Steward only match against North Cambs at City of Peterborough on Wednesday, June 7.

RESULTS

DONALD STEWARD TROPHY

Northants 98 (4), Hunts 113 (14) – (Northants rinks only):

Shirley Suffling, Pat Jones, Angela Cox won 26-17; Viv Hempsell, Moira Holroyd, Gill King won 33-14; Terri Handley, Linda Kemp, Linda Toms lost 12-29; Elizabeth Wallace, Emma Providence, Sharon Green lost 13-29; Angela Kenny, Penny Hart, Val Du’Kett lost 14-24.

SILVER JUBILEE VASE

Northants 86 (4), Hunts 126 (14) – (Northants rinks only):

Christine Frost, Sue Mansbridge, Liz Hext won 26-20; Jan McDougall, Wendy Stevens, Marlene Osborne won 24-19; Miriam Hulbert, Kate Heath, Joyce Needham lost 15-26; Sally Albany, Chris Ryan, Carol Grief lost 13-21; Ann Northen, Barbara Talbott, Ann Cooper lost 8-40.

There are six changes to the Donald Steward team for the home match with North Cambs at the City of Peterborough club on Wednesday, June 7.

Northants: Shirley Suffling, Myra Lansburgh, Liz Hext; Marlene Osborne, Moira Holroyd, Gill King; Elizabeth Wallace, Sally Albany, Chris Ford; Penny Hart, Val Du’Kett, Angela Kenny; Terri Handley, Linda Toms, Carol Grief.

A NORTHANTS Bowling Federation team featuring players from both the Adams and Newton squads defeated a Hunts Bowls side in an inaugural match at Whittlesey Manor to become the first winners of the Dick Noble and Malcolm Squires Memorial Shield.

The match, which is hoped to become an annual fixture on the local bowls calendar, enables the selectors to run the rule over prospective county players in advance of their respective county championship fixtures.

The respective county presidents, Martyn Dolby (NBF) and Martin Francis (Hunts), were in attendance and Sheron Noble and Norma Squires, widows of the former Northants stalwarts who sadly passed away last year, were on hand to present the shield to the Adams and Newton team captains Roger Stevens and Dave Corney respectively.

Northants open their county fixtures away to Suffolk on Saturday, June 3, and on the same day Hunts travel to Bedfordshire for their opening Middleton Cup match.

NORTHANTS begin their women’s county championship away to Hunts on Thursday, May 25.

Joan Robinson and Ann Cooper are the respective captains of the Donald Steward and the Silver Jubilee Vase squads.

Donald Steward team: Shirley Suffling, Pat Jones, Angela Cox; Terri Handley, Linda Kemp Linda Toms; Elizabeth Wallace, Emma Providence, Sharon Green; Vivienne Hempsell, Moira Holroyd, Gill King; Angela Kenny, Penny Hart, Valerie Du’Kett.

Silver Jubilee Vase team: Christine Frost, Sue Mansbridge, Elizabeth Hext; Sally Albany, Chris Ryan, Carol Grief; Jan McDougall, Wendy Stevens, Marlene Osborne; Joyce Needham, Kate Heath, Miriam Hulbert; Ann Northen, Barbara Talbott, Ann Cooper.

ROGER Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) has taken over from Neil Wright (Parkway) as captain of the NBF’s Adams Trophy team.

As a result of this late change, he has been given little time to put together a competitive team for the opening fixture away to Suffolk on Saturday, June 3.

He is hoping for full support from the players and he can be contacted on 07951 842777.

Would all competition players please note the new results secretary is Ally McNaughton, contact details as per NBF handbook